The Weekly Parsha (B'shallach)

Torah: Sh'mot (Ex.) 13:17-17:27

Haftarah: Shof'tim (Judges) 4:4-5:31 (A)
Shof'tim (Judges) 5:1-31 (S)

B’rit Chadasha: Lk. 2:22-24
Yochanan (Jn.) 6:15-17, 22-40; 19:31-37
1Cor. 10:1-13
2Cor. 8:1-15
Rev. 15:1-4

The rabbis teach that Israel entered into the covenant with G-d by three rites; Circumcision, Immersion, and Sacrifice. In this week’s Parsha, we are going to explore Israel’s Mikveh (immersion/baptism). With the incident of the final plague and all the events of Passover, Israel had now experienced redemption; they had left Egypt. As they approached the Reed Sea, G-d was about to take them through the symbolic event that would demonstrate that reality.

In I Cor 10 Rav Sha’ul discusses this mikveh. He said, “Our forefathers were all under the cloud and they all passed through the sea. They were all immersed into Moshe in the cloud and in the sea”. The mikveh in the Torah always symbolizes a change in status. When a leper was cleansed, he was MIkvah'd. An unclean individual immersed himself as part of the cleansing process. Israel had undergone the greatest change of status there is, they had changed from being a powerless group of slaves to the holy, unique people of Almighty G-d. Under the renewed covenant, the mikveh has much the same meaning, it symbolizes our change in status from sinful, unredeemed individuals to co-heirs with the Messiah, part of the holy nation and the royal priesthood, and included among the righteous remnant of Israel. So how do the mikveh, Torah, the Messiah and our redemption fit together? The Messiah’s mikveh was to fulfill all righteousness. What does this mean? Righteousness is ‘doing what is right’, and in our context, doing what is right in the eyes of G-d. Torah was given to show us what G-d thinks is right so part of the reason Yahshua was MIkvah'd was in obedience to G-d’s commands, fulfilling His duty under Torah. Even more so, however, is that the mikveh symbolizes the covenant of Torah. Back to Rav Sha’ul’s exposition. He says that they were immersed into Moshe. Moshe, in the writings of the Talmidim and in the words of Yahshua Himself is often used to symbolize Torah (i.e. Moshe and the prophets). Therefore, part of what Sha’ul is saying is that Israel was MIkvah'd as a symbol of their taking on the ‘yoke of the Mitzvot’, now that they had
taken on the ‘Yoke of Heaven’ through their experience of redemption. Because they are ’our forefathers’ (for Jew and Gentile alike in the renewed covenant) and these things happened to provide us an example, our mikveh experience includes this as well. It is symbolic of our entrance into the redeemed community of G-d (Israel) with all the privileges (salvation, covenant blessings, etc.) and responsibilities (mitzvot). Rav Sha’ul’s Midrash not only provides us an example but also a warning. The mikveh is symbolic of a redemption experience and entrance into the redeemed community and is to be taken very seriously. Sha’ul warns us not to be like some of them (the Israelites who came out of Egypt) who grumbled and rebelled and experienced G-d’s judgement. They may have come through the Reed Sea but they had not experienced circumcision of the heart. For them, mikveh was just getting wet. We need to constantly be on our guard to make sure our mikveh experience is not just a dunk in a river
but a truly life changing experience, an experience of death and life. The mikveh is symbolic of our entrance into G-d’s unique covenant community.  If we do not uphold our end of that covenant, we can expect to be judged and judged severely. We do not want G-d’s Name to be blasphemed before the world on account of us; He does not look on the smearing of His Name very kindly. But Rav Sha’ul ends with a promise. It may be difficult to live as the redeemed people of G-d and adhere to the covenant, but G-d is faithful and does not command or allow things that are impossible for us and will always provide us the way and the strength to stand for Truth and righteousness and thus make Abba proud.

Shalom and Brachas, Rabbi Davis